Riley's POV
The moment I step fully into the boardroom, everything explodes.
Chairs scrape loudly against the floor. Papers scatter. A few people actually jump up so fast their chairs fall backward.
Some of them look like they want to bolt straight through the windows. One man stumbles into another. A woman gasps so loudly it echoes.
They stare at me like I am not supposed to exist.
Like I am a mistake.
Like I crawled out of the grave and walked straight into their meeting.
Before anyone can recover enough to run, I turn sharply and slam the door shut with all the strength I have left in me.
The sound is loud. Final.
I twist the key in the lock.
Click.
I pull the key out slowly, deliberately, and drop it into my bag.
The room goes dead silent.
You could hear a pin drop.
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